MSNBC Interview With Rep. James Clyburn

Interview

MSNBC Interview With Rep. James Clyburn

MSNBC INTERVIEW WITH REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC)
SUBJECT: SOUTH CAROLINA'S RESPONSE TO THE ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE INTERVIEWERS: CONTESSA BREWER AND CARLOS WATSON

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MS. BREWER: And this just in from the Associated Press. The federal budget deficit has reached $765 billion -- 192.8 billion (dollars) in February alone.

MR. WATSON: Wow.

MS. BREWER: Both records. We'll talk to House Majority Whip, Democratic Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina.

Congressman, great to have you with us today.

REP. CLYBURN: Thank you so much for having me.

MS. BREWER: What do you make of those new numbers?

REP. CLYBURN: Well, those numbers indicate to us that much of the debate that we were having earlier this year, trying to decide what size this package should be, is still with us.

We decided to do a package at 787 billion (dollars). At the time, some people said that we needed to go even more. And it looks as if that debate is still raging, and we'll see what happens in the short term.

MR. WATSON: Congressman Clyburn?

REP. CLYBURN: Yes.

MR. WATSON: Carlos Watson here. Good to see you again.

REP. CLYBURN: Thank you, Carlos.

MR. WATSON: Congressman, we know that in your home state of South Carolina, where unemployment has just topped north of 10 percent --

REP. CLYBURN: Yes.

MR. WATSON: -- the Republican governor there, Mark Sanford, has seemed to suggest that he may not take the stimulus money that's offered him. What are your thoughts on that? And what, if anything, have you done to ensure that even if he doesn't want to take the money that's designated for South Carolina, it still will flow into the state coffers?

REP. CLYBURN: Well, thank you. Carlos, you may recall that back earlier this year, when we were putting this whole thing together, the governor started making noise at that time at that meeting down in Philadelphia with the president, that not only did he disagree with the approach, but he was not going to participate.

At that time, I prevailed upon my fellow congresspeople to put language in this bill that will allow state legislatures to step in if a governor refused to participate. We did that, and so that's in this legislation. The governor's got until April the 3rd to decide whether or not he will take the money. He's decided that he will take the money, if he can get it on his terms. And that is, the White House waive any of its requirements and let him use all of his discretionary money to pay down the debt in South Carolina.

That runs contrary to what we are trying to do. We are trying to spend money in communities that are in need; put people back to work; keep people on their jobs, police officers, firemen, et cetera. And we are not going to go Governor Sanford's way on this.

MR. WATSON: Congressman Clyburn, I'd love you to listen for a moment. We've got a little bit of a quote from Governor Sanford of your home state.

MS. BREWER: Just today, when he's on his tour.

MR. WATSON: Just today.

MS. BREWER: Yes.

MR. WATSON: Take a listen, and we'd love you to respond and add a little bit more.

SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR MARK SANFORD (R): (From clip.) We don't think it's a good idea to spend money that you don't have. We don't think it's a good idea to spend money that you don't have at a personal level. We don't think it's a good idea to spend money that you don't have at a state government level or, for that matter, a federal level.

MS. BREWER: Given the fact that he's speaking in such broad generalities, and this is something he's taken a strong stand on -- not just about the stimulus, but he's a long-time supporter of fiscal restraint -- how do you go back and tell your folks in South Carolina, "You know what, we should spend money don't have"?

REP. CLYBURN: Well, we all believe in fiscal restraint. But let me remind you, those of us who purchase big-ticket items like homes, we commit ourselves to pay that debt down in the long term.

What we're doing here with this new budget the president is sending up, he is calling for reform of our budgeting process. And I believe that it's the same kind of way we ought to do our federal budget. We ought to have a capital budget. We ought to amortize certain things over the long term. And I believe when President Obama finishes with his reforms, we will see that kind of budgeting at the federal level. That's what we do with bond issues at the state level.

So the governor's being disingenuous when he says that we are spending money we don't have and we shouldn't do it. We do it at the state levels all the time. We just call it floating bonds.

MR. WATSON: Congressman Clyburn, thank you. And I'm sure we'll look forward to continuing this conversation in the future.

REP. CLYBURN: Thank you so much for having me.

END.

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